In Modals^x, Clauses^x, Idioms^x

I think you are over-analyzing. would like with an infinitive is an idiom expressing desire. would love is an emphatic form of would like . They are both used as if they were present tenses. I would to go with you. __ There is really no need to appeal to the concepts of ellipsis or...

They certainly seem correct to me. Perhaps it's the idiom happen to that's bothering you. If you happen to have money = If, by chance, it turns out that you have money CJ

Thank you to all those who have posted their suggestions to my little imagination game. Some have taken it very seriously thinking they would have to relearn English after the 'changes'. This was meant to be just a game, not for those wo take everything seriously, and of course in this game...

BBC English says if you should… / if you happen to… Note that we use should in the if-clause in the first conditional if we want to suggest that something is very unlikely. We can use happen to in a similar way or even combine them: If you should / happen to change your mind about coming to...

Goodness! I'm trapped in a conundrum, and I don't even know it! None of the "would" + base-form-of-verb patterns are past. They are all conditional. "would like" is an idiom for "want"; the substitute is often made for politeness. "I would go" and "That would be nice" are pure...